Buying a Used 2011 Spyder RT-S

[liebowa]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 2011 Spyder RT-S w/5700 miles on it for ~ $13500.

I'm a new rider (haven't ridden a bike in nearly 25 years), but really want to get back into it and this excites my wife and myself.

The bike is in excellent condition and has the B.E.S.T. warranty thru next July.

A few questions;

1. This appears like a good price. Is this?
2. What should I be on the lookout for for this model?

Anything else I should know??

Thanks in advance.

(If this is not appropriate for this forum, please let me know and delete this thread)

 

[Eagle1]

Hi, the price appears to be about right, but check nada and kelly blue book. They are a fun machine. We bought a used 2010 and have had miles of smiles. Good luck, enjoy the Ryde.

 

[Grandpot]

Go for it

I bought a 2011 RT-S in November of 2014. It had 4K miles on it and now has over 10K. No problems; it was a good model year. Find out if the owner made any strange modifications. If he/she hasn't, you should be safe.

 

[Bob Denman]

:welcome: :2thumbs:
2011 was the second year of production for the RTs.
Items to consider:
Ask what modifications have been made to the bike.
Have a dealer run the bike's V.I.N. through BUDS, and determine if all of the updates have been taken care of.
Tire conditions at all three corners are always important.
Are Service records available for the bike?

The biggest potential issue for these bikes might be the throttle body system. There were lots of failures in the first several years... (I had two go bad on my 2010...)
It's not a deal-breaker; just go in with your eyes open!
Good Luck! :clap:
We hope to see some pictures of you and your new bike soon!

 

[opiewhan]

DO IT

I have an opportunity to purchase a 2011 Spyder RT-S w/5700 miles on it for ~ $13500.

I'm a new rider (haven't ridden a bike in nearly 25 years), but really want to get back into it and this excites my wife and myself.

The bike is in excellent condition and has the B.E.S.T. warranty thru next July.

A few questions;

1. This appears like a good price. Is this?
2. What should I be on the lookout for for this model?

Anything else I should know??

Thanks in advance.

(If this is not appropriate for this forum, please let me know and delete this thread)

:yesAID $18000 for my 2011 with 5000 and it was a steal .. you better jump on it quick..

 

[dmfahie]

That is a good price. I purchased my first spyder, 2011, in December 14.... RTS, 12k, 17k. I have had No issues as of yet I am looking at new tires, look at the 12k maintenance plan... can run a bit. At the end of the day I would do it again.

 

[wiredgeorge]

I bought a 2010 Spyder RT earlier this year. The 2010 had some subtle improvements made for the 2011 season. So far, I have had to replace the battery and will be getting a new rear tire today. One thing to consider with a Spyder is that the shops charge a lot to do even routine things and BRP tries to force you to buy their proprietary products... You can use car ties but the only tire BRP recognizes is the one that came on the vehicle. They also want you to use their battery and their oil and oil filter, etc. so if you get something done at a dealer, count on higher than normal maintenance costs. While the 2011 had some small improvements, the basic suspension needs help to make the Spyder fun to drive as the stock front suspension is poor. I have replace the anti-sway bar, Heim links, front shocks (with aftermarket) and heaiver springs. My Spyder RT was badly out of alignment. Once these things are fixed, my Spyder handles nicely but I have spent a $1000 in the process and done much of the work myself. The other area where the early RT is lacking is visibility and I am still working on that. It needs lights on the sides as well as the rear and front. If you buy from a private seller, the price should be about 1/2 way between wholesale and retail and your quoted price is pretty good. I bought mine (my Spyder is baseline model with no radio) for just under $12K and it was less than $13K out the door... about $12.7K. I bought mine with 2K miles on it and in good shape. I have added arm rests for the missus and full Seal floor boards... guess I have about $2500 in the thng to make it comparable to the 97 Goldwing Roadsmith trike I sold to buy it. Look at the lists of accessories and mods folks attach to their signatures and you will see that these things can eat some money to get them personalized and some of the mods are really very necessary.

 

[mschlaikjer]

I bought a 2014 limited RT new at the end of March I have no issues at all, I put 5000miles on it and I love it but if I had been on this forum before I bought my Can Am I would have checked out some used Can Ams and would have saved a lot of money.I have no regrets on my purchase but I should have done more research. Michael from St. Louis


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[finless]

June of 2013 I bought a 2011 RTS with 450 miles on it for $16,500 from a owner.
Yes I shopped and found a motivated seller at the time.
I got a good deal as at that time used RT's were going for 20K.

My 2011 was built in late 2011 (August) per the VIN. Some early 2011's carried over the 2010 throttle body problems. So be aware of that.
As was stated get the VIN and have a dealer look up it's service history. I will say finding a dealer willing to do that was difficult. Most just did not want to waste their time. But I did find one willing.

My 2011 RTS has been trouble free except for one issue with a set screw internal to the engine. I got that fixed under warranty. But that set screw is not only a 2011 issue it's all 998's.

Bob

 

[ARtraveler]

From here, the price sounds pretty good. Do a check for blue book value (private sale or dealer price) depending on which it is.

Good advice from Bob D. above about having dealer check VIN for service information and any fixes that should have been completed. Throttle body was an issue, but was covered under warranty.

That said, we bought a new 2011 in 2012. We are on our fourth season with it (21,000 miles on the clock). Other than oil changes and tires, the 2011 has been trouble free. Akspyderlady is very happy with it. We added a comfort seat and a set of Seal Pup floorboards for comfort as well as a Custom Dynamics trunk light bar.

PS: Offer them about $1,500 less than asking price. If they say no, you can always come up a little.

 

[retired1]

Last Friday, a guy from town bought a '12 RSS se5 with 4500 miles on it from a car dealer for $10000. I told him I thought that was a pretty good deal.:dontknow:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Go for it and ride the heck out of it before next July.

 

[lyonsden]

I bought a new 2011 in July of 2011 and have not looked back. Like you I hadn't rode a bike in 25 years. I absolutely love it!! 24,000 miles later, not a single problem. I did buy the matching trailer from a dealer later and love it too. The wife and I went to Yellowstone last year on it and it was a blast. Buy it and enjoy it!

 

[liebowa]

WOW! What a great response! THANK YOU!

I went ahead and bought the Spyder - and I CAN NOT WAIT to get it on the road. Unfortunately, the timing is terrible w/some work travel that is going to dominate the next few weeks. But, Can't have my toy without income!

Of course, now it's time to spend more money - helmet, clothing, etc. So, I'm off to do some searches here for suggestions on those items, too.

You people are great! Thanks so much for the replies. A true community...